Show Page Breaks in Excel 2016 Normal View
Question details
The user wants to display page-break lines in Excel 2016 Normal view without switching to Page Break Preview.
- Product
- Microsoft Excel 2016
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- The user wants to see where a worksheet will be divided into printed pages while working in Normal view.
- Observed behavior
- Gray dotted page-break lines do not consistently appear in Normal view and may need to be enabled manually.
Open the workbook and select the worksheet where you want to see page breaks. Confirm that you are in Normal view by selecting View > Normal.
Enable page-break lines for the current worksheet
Use Excel's Advanced Options to show page breaks while staying in Normal view.
Select the worksheet tab, then go to File > Options.
Select Advanced and scroll to Display options for this worksheet. Check that the desired worksheet is selected in the drop-down list.
Select the Show page breaks checkbox and click OK. Return to View > Normal to work with the page-break lines visible.
Select another worksheet tab and repeat the setting through File > Options > Advanced if you also want page-break lines there.
Use Page Break Preview to inspect printed pages
Use this view when you want a dedicated overview of how the worksheet is divided into pages.
Review spreadsheet layouts with WPS Office
WPS Office is a free, lightweight alternative for working with spreadsheets. Its familiar interface and Microsoft Office format compatibility make it easy to move existing files into WPS, though it does not change Excel's worksheet settings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the Show page breaks setting in Excel 2016?
Go to File > Options > Advanced. Under Display options for this worksheet, select Show page breaks and click OK.
Does enabling page breaks apply to every worksheet?
No. The setting is worksheet-specific. Select each worksheet and check its setting under File > Options > Advanced.
How can I see page breaks without page-number watermarks?
Select View > Normal, then enable Show page breaks under File > Options > Advanced. Page Break Preview displays large page-number watermarks.
How do I hide page-break lines again?
Go to File > Options > Advanced, select the relevant worksheet under Display options for this worksheet, and clear Show page breaks.
